[WOMEN'S COLLEGE CUP: Virginia-UCLA] It will the nation's top offense against the top defense as Virginia plays Pac-12 champion UCLA in the Women's College Cup
Friday in Cary, N.C. (TV: ESPNU, live, 7:30 pm ET). In her first season in charge of UCLA, Amanda Cromwell will go up against her alma mater, Virginia, whose
only loss in 25 games came in the ACC semifinals against Virginia Tech after one of the greatest regular-season performances in women's college history.

UCLA. The Bruins (21-1-2) have been to the College Cup more times than any other team in Cary, but they've been major disappointments in the final four. They had a streak of seven
consecutive College Cup appearances (2003-09) but they've still not won the national title in eight trips and only reached the final three times.

This year could be different under
Cromwell, who engineered a 1-0 overtime win at defending champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals. Two years ago at UCF, her Knights also knocked off UNC in the playoffs.

Freshman
Darian Jenkins leads UCLA with 11 goals. Taylor Smith, whose goal beat UNC, is second on the team with eight. Jenkins
(27 points), Smith (26) and Sam Mewis (21) are UCLA’s first trio of 20-point scorers since 2009 when the Bruins featured current U.S. national team stars
Sydney Leroux and Lauren Cheney.

If anyone can shut down high-scoring Virginia, it could be UCLA. Bruin
goalkeeper Katelyn Rowland leads the nation in goals-against average (0.257) and supported by a backline led by central defender Abby Dahlkemper.

UCLA is so deep it has a pair of Olympians, Canadian Chelsea Stewart and Rosie
White of New Zealand, come off the bench. Stewart and starting defender Ally Courtnall give the Bruins two daughters of former NHL players. Both grew up
in the United States but play for Canada.

VIRGINIA. Whatever happens this weekend, there is not doubt this is the best team the Cavaliers have ever
assembled. In one of the greatest feats in ACC history, they swept their regular-season slate in a conference that sent six teams to the quarterfinals and claimed all four No. 1 regional berths.

Virginia (24-1-0) leads the nation with an average of 3.08 goals per game. The Cavs, who outscored their opponents 77-15, are led by Player of the Year candidate Morgan Brian with 46 points (16 goals, 14 assists), but Makenzy Doniak (19 goals, to go along with six assists for 44 points) and Brittany Ratcliffe (12 goals) give the Cavs multiple weapons in attack.

Coach Steve Swanson looks to win his
first national college title a year after leading the USA to an Under-20 World Cup championship.

A win over UCLA would a first for UVa in postseason play. It lost to the Bruins three
times in the past decade in Los Angeles.